Ethereal Beings

 I have heard (but not believ'd) the spirits of the dead
May walk again: if such thing be, thy mother
Appeared to me last night; for ne'er was dream
So like a waking.
~ Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale

I have a tablet with the voice to text doc, Live Transcribe, always on. Yes, even when I’m sleeping. Why? Just in case. I mean, you know I'm deaf, right? If something happens in the middle of the night, it'd be good to not need to fiddle with pen and paper or firing up translation apps when all Ten or Jen might be saying is "there's been a molasses explosion. We have to get outta the house NOW." Molasses explosions? It's a Boston thing.

In any case, I occasionally wake to the oddest texts.

I can’t wake up in Java.

The island or the programming language?

Pack. Pack.

Where am I going? Hopefully Iceland.

Hello. Mom.

Did she come by for a visit last night?

Have I been talking in my sleep? Has Ten? Cake? If not, is this proof of ghosts? Doubt it, though it makes for a nice fairy story, doesn’t it?

On these nights when I’m plagued with sleeplessness, I can imagine will-o’-the-wisps, wraiths and other ethereal beings. They can charm and amuse me as I argue with Hypnos about entering the Land of Nod. I swear I paid the entrance fee—just let me in!

Let me be obscenely clear, I totally get that the vast majority of folks trafficking in the

supernatural are cruel frauds. According to AARP :

Scam psychics prey on people who are grieving, lonely or struggling emotionally, physically or financially. (The AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline saw an uptick in calls about psychic scams in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.) They solicit business by mail and social media, open storefronts or approach potential targets on the street.

Ghosts (or ‘spirits’ if we’re gonna go with crystal ball psychic jargon) are about as real as vampires, werewolves, elves and hobbits. They make for great teevee entertainments though—think X-Files, Buffy, Warehouse 13, Supernatural and such. Put a ghost, demon or other assorted mysterious being in a show and I’m a guaranteed viewer. Well, at least until the telenovela proves to be tediously serious, lacking in wit, style, imagination or decent actors. (see Supernatural, listed above)

I’ve just found a “reality tv” series that I might actually be able to get into—Ghost Brothers. It’s about three young ghost hunters who investigate haunted locales in an attempt to prove that ghosts are real. I’m guessing this is all tongue in cheek. I MUST ask Jen and Oni if they can get this on their magic escape-reality box.